Freedom Leisure wins Gloucester contract

Gloucester City Council, University of Gloucestershire and Blackbridge Charitable Community Benefit Society have chosen Freedom Leisure to run their leisure facilities.

Freedom Leisure will take over operations of GL1, Oxstalls and the Blackbridge Community and Sports Hub, which is set to open next year (2025). The charitable trust had already taken over the interim running of GL1 and Oxstalls following the closure of the Aspire Trust.

The new agreement sees Freedom Leisure awarded a 15-year contract to run GL1 and Oxstalls Indoor Tennis Centre, and 10-year contracts for the other facilities.

The contract to run GL1 comes with a commitment to invest £8.3m into updating the leisure centre to attract new users, reduce operating costs and offer an improved experience for residents.

The city council will invest £5.9m as part of the plan, which will be paid back over the term of the contract with the remaining investment coming from Freedom Leisure.

Opening next year, the Blackbridge Community and Sports Hub will feature facilities for sport, youth work, learning and socialising – including a 3G football pitch, fitness gym and studio space. Councillor Caroline Courtney, Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure at Gloucester City Council, said: “This agreement not only secures the long-term future of our leisure facilities, it also ensures people have access to some excellent facilities and can benefit from a more joined up approach with our partners.”